Trump tosses 'totally wrong' Cabinet member under the bus over gas price prediction

Donald Trump opened Monday by publicly contradicting his own Energy Secretary, dismissing Chris Wright's assessment that gas prices will remain elevated through next year as "totally wrong."

According to reporting from The Hill's Julia Manchester, Energy Secretary Chris Wright told CNN's Jake Tapper on Sunday that "prices have likely peaked" but cautioned that "that could happen later this year, that might not happen until next year."

Wright attempted to soften his pessimistic forecast by invoking Trump's first-term record. "Under $3 a gallon is pretty tremendous in inflation-adjusted terms. We had that in the Trump administration, but we hadn't seen that in inflation-adjusted terms for quite a long time. We'll get back there for sure."

Trump rejected the assessment entirely. Speaking directly to Julia Manchester on Monday morning, the president flatly stated: "No, I think he's wrong on that. Totally wrong."

When pressed on how the ongoing blockade of the Strait of Hormuz impacts energy markets, Trump offered a vague timeline that depends entirely on resolving the Iran conflict: "As soon as this ends," pointing to the war.

The current reality undermines both men's optimism, Manchester reported. According to AAA data, the average price of gas in the U.S. sat at $4.00 per gallon on Monday morning — well above the $3 threshold Wright referenced as a near-term goal, and far from the "tremendous" sub-$3 pricing either official promised.